Category: Bicycle Advocacy
A bike ride to honor bicyclists killed or injured by motor vehicles gets underway at 278 locations beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday in 22 countries around the world.
The Ride of Silence was founded in 2003 by Chris Phelan to memorialize the death of bicyclist Larry Schwartz in Dallas who was struck and killed by the exterior mirror of a passing bus.
Since then the silent ride has grown to every continent, including Antarctica where it will be conducted on two stationary bicycles in the gym of US research base Palmer Station …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/17/2010-ride-of-silence-is-wednesday-evening-may19/
A horrific rear-end collision between a pickup truck and a group of six cyclists left three dead and rocked the bicycling community in the Quebec province on Friday.
The five women and one man were members of a triathlon club who were riding to a weekend training camp at Sherbrooke, Quebec.
A pickup truck driven by an as-yet unidentified local volunteer firefighter slammed into the group as they pedaled single-file along the undivided four-lane highway south of Montreal.
One woman was pronounced dead at the scene and two other women died at the hospital.
The speed limit along Highway 112 is 90 km ….
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/14/3-cyclists-killed-on-rural-quebec-road-3-more-injured/
In spite of objections from some users, a east-west street in Seattle will be undergoing a road diet this summer.
Seattle's bike-riding mayor, Michael McGinn, said the re-striping of West Nickerson Street should encourage bicycling and walking and slow down speeding motorists.
Currently the mile-long section of Nickerson between Warren Avenue and 13th Avenue West is a four-lane street with on-street parking. It will be reduced to two traffic lanes in each direction with a center turn lane. A bicycle lane will be added on up uphill portions, and sharrows on the downhill portions. The on-street curb parking will remain.
It's similar to street rechannelizations ….
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/12/arterial-street-in-seattle-to-become-more-bicycle-friendly/
Whenever I read about Florida bicycling issues, I get the sense that it's two miles forward and one mile backward for bicyclists there.
Such is the case recently for the state where 125 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in 2008, the most of any state in the US.
One step forward
The image at left is part of a presentation prepared for the Orlando Police Department Bulletin by Officer Bill Edgar. It addresses the question of whether bicyclists should ride as far to the right as possible. Here's a quote from the text …..
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/11/the-tough-battle-to-make-florida-roads-safe-for-bicyclists/
You'd expect lots of bike industry press releases and bicycling news in the general media this month as May is National Bike Month.
But I was surprised that the American Automobile Association took the time to remind its members to share the road with bicycles.
Maybe they recognize that bicycle transportation is one very good solution to traffic congestion.
Or that using bicycles instead of cars for trips under 2 miles will reduce the fossil fuel emissions that are contributing to air pollution and global warming. [See the 2-mile challenge]
Or the demand for crude oil is reduced everytime someone chooses a bike trip …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/04/support-for-national-bike-month-from-the-aaa/
Baltimore Sun columnist Michael Dresser gets the whole idea of requiring motorists to give bicyclists a three-foot gap when passing.
After the Maryland legislators passed the law on the last day of the session in Annapolis, many motorists vented about lawmakers capitulating to a noisy minority and the terrible troubles caused by bicycles in traffic lanes.
Here's what Dresser writes in “Sharing the road with bicycles is hardly a hardship”:
….”For decades now I've driven the back roads of Maryland, occasionally coming upon groups of bicyclists pedaling furiously but poking along by gas-driven standards. …..
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/03/3-foot-passing-law-awaits-maryland-governors-signature/
Spokane (WA) and Albany (OR) on the list from Pacific NW
The hard work by bicycle advocates in some cities continues to show pay-offs as the League of American Bicyclists named 16 new members to its list of Bicycle-Friendly Communities.
All 16 cities entered the list at the bronze level, showing some level of achievement in engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation as it relates to bicycling.
The so-called spring cycle of bicycle-friendly community awards also included five renewals and 19 honorable mentions.
One of the new bicycle-friendly communities is Spokane, Washington, which I just happened to visit earlier in April. Above is a photo of the Centennial Trail's bicycle-pedestrian bridge …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/05/01/16-more-communities-added-to-the-bicycle-friendly-list/
An attempt to make travel safer for everyone by installing rumble strips seems to be making some roadways more hazardous for bicycle riders.
Big surprise, right? Nobody thought of those darn bicyclists.
Well, the Adventure Cycling Association, the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking and Walking are calling attention to this growing problem before it gets worse for those of us riding the highways and back roads.
At issue are the recessed rumble strips that are being ground into roads and highways across the country. The rumble strips grab the attention of motorists who might be otherwise distracted …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/04/28/bicyclists-arent-ready-to-rumble-when-they-ride/
May is 2010 National Bike Month and advocates want to put more bicyclists on the streets than ever before, especially during Bike to Work Week, May 17-21, and Bike to Work Day, May 21.
In the Puget Sound region, that means preparatory classes and get-togethers about bicycle commuting, contest challenges, and post-event parties and presentation celebrations.
The Cascade Bicycle Club's goal is to surpass last year's record 24,000 bike commuters in the region.
To check on what's happening in cities around the US, check the League of American Bicyclists' state-by-state event calendar for National Bike Month. Bike to Work events planned in Washington state: ..
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/04/27/getting-ready-for-the-2010-bike-to-work-events/
The mile-high city celebrates Earth Day by launching its Denver B-cycle bike sharing program on Thursday.
The system will be the largest in the US, sporting 500 bicycles available at 50 bike-share kiosks located across the city when fully operational. It starts with 360 to 400 sturdy red bikes.
This is the first bike-share roll-out in the US this year, to be followed in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Boston this summer. Washington DC is currently the only other bike-share system in the US, although much larger systems are up and running in Montreal and Mexico City.
The annual subscription is $65. Access for shorter periods ….
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/04/22/denver-rolls-out-nations-biggest-bike-sharing-program/
Recent Comments